Made with butternut squash, apples and potatoes, this luscious vegan vegetable soup contains all the flavors of fall.
If you follow a vegan diet, achieving a creamy, comforting soup may seem impossible. But it can be done! All you need is a slow cooker, an immersion blender and a few vegan pantry staples and you’ll have a tasty bowl of vegetable soup on your table in no time.
The Best Vegan Cheese for Creamy Soups
Plant-based cheese alternatives
Today, there are a lot of great vegan cheese alternatives right in your local supermarket. Brands, like Daiya, offer plant-based “cheese” slices, shreds and blocks that look, taste and even melt like traditional dairy-based cheese. For this recipe, we used Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds.
Nutritional yeast
Consider this the original vegan cheese substitute. Nutritional yeast adds a surprisingly cheesy taste to vegan recipes. Often found in the baking aisle, it’s a staple in any vegan pantry.
Coconut milk and cashew cream
Other popular “cheese” alternatives that add richness to creamy soups include unsweetened coconut milk and cashew cream. You can find canned unsweetened coconut milk right in the aisles of your grocery store. Cashew cream, on the other hand, is easily made at home by soaking raw cashews in water overnight and then blending until thick and smooth. This vegan vegetable soup recipe uses both of these ingredients to create the perfect base.
Root vegetables
When cooked and pureed, vegetables like carrots, potatoes and parsnips can all help add a velvety texture to soups that are low in calories and fat. Simply roast or boil the vegetables until fork-tender, then blend until smooth.
How to Add Flavor to Vegetable Soup
Just because a soup is vegan doesn’t mean it has to lack flavor. Dairy and meat products may be off the table, but herbs and spices will be your best friend. Basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, garlic, cinnamon, ginger and curry powder can all add a tantalizing aroma and flavor to vegan vegetable soups.
How to Make “Cheesy” Vegan Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
4 cups butternut squash, cubed
2 cups potato, cubed
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup vegan cheddar cheese shreds
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
To garnish:
Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
Vegan cheddar cheese shreds
Freeze-dried apple chips
Your favorite vegan granola
Instructions
Step 1: Load your slow cooker
In a 6- or 8-qt. slow cooker, add cashews, butternut squash, potato, carrot, apple, onion and garlic. Pour vegetable broth over everything and stir to combine. Add dried sage, thyme, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper and cover with a lid.
Step 2: Let it cook
Let the vegetables cook in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. After the time has elapsed, check to ensure the carrots, potatoes and squash are fork-tender. Cashews should also be soft and easily squished when compressed.
Editor’s Note: If you do not have an immersion blender, you may also carefully transfer portions of soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Once all the soup is blended, return to the slow cooker.
Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home
Step 4: Make it “cheesy”
Add nutritional yeast and vegan cheddar shreds to the soup. Next, open a can of unsweetened coconut milk. The coconut milk should be naturally separated. Skim the thicker coconut cream from the top of the can and add to the soup. Discard the remaining coconut water. Using the immersion blender, blend everything until combined.
Lauren Habermehl for Taste of Home
Step 5: Garnish and serve
Serve soup in bowls and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, dried apple chips, vegan granola and vegan cheddar cheese shreds, if desired.
The golden color, smooth and creamy texture and wonderful taste of this soup make it a welcome addition to a chilly fall day. It has a slightly tangy flavor from the gingerroot, and the sweet cinnamon really comes through. —Jackie Campbell, Stanhope, New Jersey
This colorful soup is vegetarian-friendly and full of fresh flavors from a rainbow of vegetables. You can use any multicolored pasta in place of the spirals. —Crystal Schlueter, Northglenn, Colorado
Curry gives a different taste sensation to this chili-like soup. It’s delicious with a dollop of sour cream. My family welcomes it with open arms—and watering mouths. —Christina Till, South Haven, Michigan
For a busy-day supper, my family loves to have big steaming, delicious bowls of this soup, along with fresh bread from our bread machine. —Dotty Egge, Pelican Rapids, Minnesota
This bean stew is a staple for my co-workers and me once the weather turns cool. Although this is a low-fat dish, it definitely doesn't taste like it! —Debbie Matthews, Bluefield, West Virginia
This vegetarian minestrone soup was created to accommodate special Christmas dinner guests who don't eat meat. It was so good we all enjoyed it. This can also be cooked on the stove for two hours on low simmer. —Donna Marie Ryan, Topsfield, Massachusetts
Even self-avowed carnivores won’t miss the meat in this zippy dish. It’s chock-full of healthy ingredients that will keep you feeling satisfied. —Laurie Stout-Letz, Bountiful, Utah
For a vegetarian chili that meat lovers would like, this recipe is healthy and tastes great. It takes just a few minutes to prepare, then the chili simmers in the slow cooker leaving me free to do something else. I top bowls with shredded cheddar cheese.—Connie Barnett, Athens, Georgia
This soup tastes rich and decadent, but is really very healthy! Bonus—it's vegan, and also makes your house smell amazing! —Barbara Marynowski, Hutto, Texas
My husband and I met while working the dinner shift at a homeless shelter that served my chili. I’ve revised the chili using bean veggie burgers. —Marty Nickerson, Ellington, Connecticut
Here’s a healthy slow-cooker soup that's ideal for vegetarians and those watching their weight. Butternut squash and lentils make it hearty, while herbs and other veggies round out the flavor. —Mark Morgan, Waterford, Wisconsin
Hot soup on a cold day is something I just can't get enough of. It's a snap to put together, and I don't have to wash pots and pans after a relaxing meal. —Sally Goeb, New Egypt, New Jersey
Life can get really crazy with young children, but I never want to compromise when it comes to cooking. This recipe is healthy and so easy, thanks to the slow cooker! —Angela Lemoine, Howell, New Jersey
This slow-cooker soup is my secret weapon on busy days. It’s delicious served with oyster crackers that are tossed in a bit of melted butter and herbs and then lightly toasted in the oven. —Whitney Jensen, Spring Lake, Michigan
After a busy day as a college nursing professor, I love to come home to this slow cooker white bean soup. It provides plenty of nutrients to keep me healthy. —Brenda Jeffers, Ottumwa, Iowa
At my house, we're all crazy for chowder. This meatless version is loaded with root veggies and spices—cinnamon, cardamom and allspice—that really say fall. —Mary Anne Thygesen, Portland, Oregon
Cumin and chili powder give spark to this thick and hearty soup. If you have leftover meat—smoked sausage, browned ground beef or roast—toss it in during the last 30 minutes of cooking. —Amy Chop, Oak Grove, Louisiana
I fell in love with the spicy aromas in this slow-cooked lentil stew. Add whatever ingredients you have on hand, like zucchini, spinach, kale and corn. —Heather Gray, Little Rock, Arkansas
I combined several online recipes to make my own version of this soup. It was a real favorite when I was a vegetarian for health reasons. Even my meat-loving husband asked for seconds! —Corrie Gamache, Palmyra, Virginia
While in college, I studied abroad. At the time, I was a vegetarian and was pleasantly surprised at how delicious and diverse vegetarian food in Britain could be. After returning to the States, I re-created my favorite restaurant dish and named it after the University of Manchester. When the enticing aroma fills my kitchen, I feel as if I'm back in England!
This recipe came to me from a friend who had worked at a health food store. I changed a few things until I found a version that my family loved. My son doesn't like things too spicy, so I make the stew milder for him and add a sprinkle of extra spice in mine. My husband, who farms, works outdoors for long hours at a time and finds this soup hearty enough to keep him satisfied. —Melanie MacFarlane, Bedeque, Prince Edward Island
Lauren Habermehl is a recipe developer, food photographer and creator of the blog, Frydae. She is a prolific quoter of FRIENDS, lover of weekend DIY projects and procrastinating fitness enthusiast who enjoys exploring the Milwaukee-area with her husband, daughter and ugly mutt named Tyson Doodles.